BARCELONA – An accident between a car and a truck has caused a remarkable scene on the motorway in Catalonia today. Dozens of pigs ran loose on the AP-7 after a collision between the two vehicles.
The motorway was closed in both directions between Barberà and Santa Perpètua, resulting in traffic jams of more than 14 kilometres from Sant Cugat.
The accident happened between a passenger car and a truck transporting pigs. Four people were injured and several pigs died on the spot. In addition, the impact of the collision allowed the pigs to escape from the truck. Furthermore, this necessitated the closure of the A-7 motorway. Footage shared by Catalan police, Mossos d’Esquadra, shows the pigs occupying the entire road.
The truck overturned and the cabin caught fire. However, the fire was quickly extinguished after the arrival of the emergency services. Subsequently, motorists were advised to use alternative routes C-16/C-25 (towards France) and B-23 (Metropolitan area).
The Catalan government has confirmed that all live animals have now been transferred and that the dead pigs have almost all been disposed of. Clearance work and recovery of the truck caused traffic delays until the evening. The Red Cross, with the support of the Catalan Police Mossos, was handing out water bottles to the stranded motorists on the highway because of high temperatures.
